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June Challenges and concise explanation(hopefully): Several ended up with just 12 votes so I just picked two at random for 3rd and 4th place.

-Only two notes allowed in entire composition

Track must wholly be made with 2 notes at any octave. Don't worry if it strays a little here and there such as in pitch bends between the notes. Try to make track 98% on your two chosen notes. Drums that are pitched in some way must sound like they're in those two notes (to the best of your ability)

All track elements must originate from the same sample

Sample length is MAX 10 seconds (so you may use a break) Try to be creative with your sample, challenge yourself! 'Originate' is an important word, as you may add FX to it to create new samples from your original sample!

5/4 Time:

Track must be in 5/4. It is ok to stray from the time signature for a short amount of time, if you think of an interesting way to switch signatures, but it then must switch back.

Substitute - Self-Made Drums only! :

Self Explainatory. Make your drums using either your chosen sample for the other challenge, or if you substitute this with that, any sample, or with a synth.

Try to complete the original challenges before you substitute! The substitute is really only there if one of the challenges doesn't interest you, or is too hard, or maybe doesn't jive well with the other challenges for you!

This again is due 1 month from now, July 1st! You may post this at any time, or post for feedback, further explanation before..somewhere.

GOOD LUCK, may the farce be with you.

The Idea:

I've been thinking of a way to try new things out since I'm currently in a creative rut myself. I thought that it might be a good idea to start running challenges, for now every month. People basically will first come up with ideas for challenges. I'll then list them out in a poll, then we will vote on what we want to see for a particular challenge.

In order to get more ideas into play, a given challenge will have 3 "parameters" and 1 substitutable parameter. The top 3 that win the poll will be chosen. For example.. er a kinda uncreative example:

-Track must be 40.45 bpm

-track must not use midi, only samples

-track must be in 3/4 time

Even that brings me out of my comfort zone. I never make dance music in 3/4, or 40 bpm, and I've only made a few tracks with just samples. That is just a basic very example.

The idea is to finish at least a rough demo of the challenge with all parameters included, and at most finish the track. There will be no winners, the challenge is yourself. Every month there will be some wiggle room within the challenges. YOU MAY IMPOSE extra challenge upon yourself. Say one of the parameters is 'samples must be under 10 seconds', and you choose instead to only use samples under .5 seconds. Whenever you post your track you may mention whatever extra rules it follows. That way there will be more variety within the imposed challenges.

Of course you don't have to do, or complete every single challenge. I think I'll make lists of who completed what challenge and put it somewhere. Maybe ;). The point is to make tracks you normally wouldn't make, and isn't really about competition between people.

This is just a basic outline of ideas in which to conduct the challenges. Suggestions are more than welcome.

The Substitute: The point of the substitute is to substitute a single challenge with what won fourth place in a given month. It is there if one of the challenges doesn't interest you, or perhaps you might not feel like one of them aren't a challenge. Before you substitute however, please try the original 3 winners before you do so.

Misc Rules & Guidelines:

- You may post your track at any time, first day or last. It must be BEFORE the next challenge starts, on the first of every month. You may also post your track for feedback and help, if you need it, or suggestions. The idea is to get better as a musician, and feedback is a very good way to do it.

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I'd love to do shit like this but i'm a slave to time and would not manage them. Great idea though.

Maybe if people can dip in and out when they can fit one in?

oh yeah, you don't have to do every challenge or anything. I'm just seeing how many people are interested in doing them.

Like I said, you can make it as long as you want, provided you have all the 'parameters' in your track. Parameters is the best word I can think of x). Try to make it sound in the very least like a demo, or a rough draft of your track. It in no way has to be a completed song. It just has to have all the parameters.

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If you want a "winner", maybe you could just ponderate the challenge parameters : most difficult parameters to include in a track would reward more points than easier parameters and then we'd set up a chart. There's no competition involved and it's a simple way to motivate people imho :)

I would be greatly interested to take part in these. I've lost the energy and desire to produce some music lately, it could be a nice way to go back to work again.

And as for the name of the thing, I can't come up with something better than "CHALLM"...

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the hardest challenges will be social ones, for example where you will have to persuade a stranger to play the synth solo.

That gives me an idea for an interesting challenge. What if we pair up various people at watmm, and then they each request of the other say... a list of certain types of samples, and then they then comb thru their individual sample packs to find the described samples, throw them in a .zip, and then they give the packs to eachother or something.

Or maybe they just give each other....20 random samples and then they have to make a track including all of them.

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In a day or two I'll be starting the thread where I'll list out a lot of parameter choices taken from the suggestions. Then on the 1st of June the challenge will start. Each one will start and end on the first of every month so it's easy to remember. If it turns out that people are quick about finishing the tracks, then we will try every 3 weeks instead of a month, and again if it's still very quick, then 2 weeks. Remember the idea is to get a rough draft out with all of the parameters included.

For the first challenge I'll try to keep it a little simple. Maybe after a month or two we'll do that sample idea. Unless everyone wants to do it out the gate.

Also I think I may include another choice where people can choose how many parameters they want to follow... 3-5? Just to gauge how many people are willing to do.